Takedown Teague (Caged #1)(76)

The remainder of the trip to Tria’s hometown was pretty uneventful. We only stopped a couple of times and didn’t talk much when we did. There was definitely still tension between us, and I felt it the most when Tria brought out the cash left by my uncle and used it to fill up the gas tank of the motorcycle.

I was still pissed at that * for showing up there.

We drew close to the edge of a small town, and I noticed the little sign near the edge of the road pointing the way to the island town of Beals. We crossed a long bridge from Jonesport, which was cleverly named Bridge Street, over the water, and to the island. We cruised around the island, staying near the water at the edge of town. At one point, we passed the local high school and a place called Barney’s Cove Lobster, but Tria didn’t stop until we got farther out.

She pulled off the road near a small house with a big tree in the back. The place looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. I didn’t see any cars or anything parked outside. There was a shed near the back of the property but no signs of life.

Tria reached up and pulled off her helmet, so I followed suit. She stared up at the house for a few minutes before she glanced over her shoulder to look at me.

“This is the house where I lived with my dad,” she told me.

Now it made sense. With a tug, I pulled her back against me a little, and she didn’t resist. I kept both my feet on the road to balance the bike as she leaned back and continued to stare at the house. There was a good-sized back yard that butted up against the beach. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocky shore was constant and made me want to take a nap.

“You were, um…really young when he died, right?” I asked when I couldn’t stand any more silence.

“Six,” she confirmed.

“He was in the army?”

“He was a mechanic in the army, yes,” she said. “He was considered a hero here because no one else in the area had ever served overseas before. Everyone looked up to him, not just me. He always said that he never wanted to live in a big city and that anyone with any sense would choose a small town.”

I snickered.

“Well, maybe college will teach you some sense,” I said. “Maybe you’ll come back here when you graduate.”

I definitely didn’t like the idea, but I really didn’t know what else to say. Living in a Podunk town like this would drive me up the wall. I doubted this place even had a decent bar.

“I don’t know,” she replied with a shrug that sent her hair up my nose. “I think I kind of like living in the city.”

Thank God.

“I’d suggest trying to live in another area of the city. Where we are is pretty crappy.”

“Well, yes,” she agreed. “I don’t think I want to live right where we are forever, but there are some nice places around Hoffman College campus.”

She looked over her shoulder again and narrowed her eyes.

“I’m sure you know all about that, though.”

I sighed dramatically, and Tria went back to watching the house. I could feel the tension again, and I didn’t like it.

A breeze came by and brought with it the scent of brine and fallen leaves. I blinked, and in my mind I saw the lush green lawns and tall red brick buildings of the college that had been in my mother’s family for three generations. I remembered holding her hand as we walked down the long sidewalk from the dormitories to the student center where I would be able to watch the swim meets and wrestling matches.

I shook my head slightly, forcing the thoughts away. I leaned forward on the bike and pulled Tria closer to me.

“I was supposed to go to Hoffman College,” I said quietly into Tria’s ear. “I was supposed to study business there so I could become a big shot executive and take over Dad’s companies when he retired. Mom always said I had choices. I could become the president of the college instead, but I knew that was bullshit even as a kid. I’m pretty sure I was supposed to be the CFO of Teague Silver by now.”

Tria tried to turn her head to look at me, but I held her a little tighter to my chest and kept her still.

“When I left home, I realized that dream was gone. I didn’t know what I was going to do, and I knew the one place I was guaranteed acceptance into a college program was Hoffman, but there was no way I could set foot in there again.”

My chest rose and fell with a deep breath.

“I was driving past the campus when all of that hit me,” I told her. “Everything about my life was going to be completely different, and you know what?”

“What?” Tria asked softly.

“I was happy about it.”

Tria wriggled enough to turn in the seat and reach her hands up to my face. She looked into my eyes as she moved closer and eventually brought her lips to mine.

“We should get going,” Tria said as we broke apart. “Nikki’s probably wondering where I am by now, and explaining you isn’t going to be easy.”

“Sure it is,” I said. “I’m the boyfriend, remember?”

To get to the home of Tria’s friend, we had to drive a little farther down the coast and around one of the jutting peninsulas of the island. Considering what Tria was apparently used to living around, I suddenly realized why the condition of the buildings in our neighborhood hadn’t really fazed her.